Reign of Solaris
by Masterweaver
Summary: Mephiles did not die. He was merely... removed. This is the epic that tracks his path... Feel free to critique, review, or just say hi.
1. Chapter 1

Welcome all, to Chapter One in a new story of epic proportions. By the time we are through, we shall have shed some light on Sega's 2006 game. We shall truly know who Mephiles is, we shall learn what exactly happened when Sonic blew out that candle, and we shall understand what drove the dark god to such extreme measures. So sit back, relax, and enjoy…

The Reign of Solaris!

"I'm just saying, why does he turn me green?"

Sonic the hedgehog, fastest thing alive, was pacing over the crumbling remains of the gas station. In anticipation of the upcoming battle, he'd replaced his white gloves with fingerless leather gauntlets and dyed his red shoes black. Otherwise, his spiny blue visage remained unaltered from its classic appearance, apart from the expression of mixed anticipation and confusion. Nearby, Knuckles leaned against an old support pillar and rolled his purple eyes. He had rearranged his quills so a diamond of red jutted out from his forehead, but this was the only adjustment to his appearance he'd submitted himself to. Clearly, he'd heard it all before.

A rapid whirring of gyros turned the pair's attention to a newcomer. An orange sheathe dress fluttered around her childish form as her black metal feet pounded against the ground. One long ear, capped in persimmon fur, trailed behind in the wind, and her squinting brown eye gauged a slowing skid. She reached down her metal arm, clenching the ground between the charcoal fingers as her silver legs ratcheted to a close. Sliding to a stop, she stood and adjusted her cobalt dual-flap tie with her gloved hand, dusting off the yellow-accented limb of steel attached to her other shoulder. A full third of her face was covered in ebony metal, broken yellow crest marking the end of light-brown fur, and from the field of darkness peered a glowing blue eye.

"Hey Sonic, Knuckles. Sorry we're late. Did we miss anything?" The figure unconsciously checked the power level of her robotic arm.

"Just three hours of hedgehog angst," Knuckles replied, thumbing at Sonic. "Nothing important, Cream."

Sonic stopped midpace. "HEY!"

"Where's Exio?" Cream peered at the sky, searching against the glaring sunlight for some sign of the missing companion.

"Dunno. Usually he's here by now…" Knuckles put his hands on his hips, walking out of the shade and joining the quest to find the absent member.

"I'll have you know that was not angst!" Sonic angrily stalked up to Knuckles, waving his finger at the echidna. "It was curiosity! I was merely inquiring-"

Very casually, a white-mittened fist rose and connected with a peach muzzle, knocking the fastest thing alive to the ground. Knuckles didn't even spare a glance as he landed the blow, his eyes instead locked on a flying silhouette rapidly approaching. "There he is! No… wait…"

"It's Cheesy!" Cream cried, surprised.

The bee-like chao descended from the sky. The expression behind the flight goggles was resigned to being the bearer of bad news, but he nevertheless adjusted his orange vest. "Chao chao chao," he began, twitching his yellow antennae sadly. "Chao… chao. Chao, chao chao." He somberly bowed his helmeted head.

"Well?" asked Knuckles, turning to the local linguist.

"Exio's not coming," Cream replied. "He's trying to break the chain."

From the ground, there came a moan. "Owwww… My nose…."

Thus ends chapter one. What do they face? Who is Exio? Why is Cream a cyborg who refers to herself in plural? All will be answered… Later.


	2. Chapter 2

Once more shall we plunge into the mystery opened by Chapter one. This time, however, we find ourselves far from the struggle of our heros. Let us now introduce the one who wants to break the chain. Let us now see who this Exio truly is, or was...

In the shadows of the old warehouse, red eyes glowed.

Traveling upward from the red feet, one would find a pair of heliotrope sheathes of metal connected to silver rods by a hinge. These rods disappeared into an egg-shaped module which also was the strange purple shade. A yellow-rimmed tunnel traveled through this ovoid object, and a long purple tail curled out from under the exhaust port. On each side, silver shoulder pads connected to beams of chrome, which further extended to violet cylinders. Two yellow boxes attached to each end housed skeletal grey fingers that extended to sharpened points. From a short neck was hung the head, with three spines at one end and a charcoal muzzle on the other. A pair of screws and a short horn embedded themselves in the face, but more frightening was the black field that housed the sad, red eyes.

Exio though about his decision. He was adamant. The only way to resist control was to defy it.

Floating through the maze of crates, another figure approached. It hung limply from the end of a metal rod, red gem glowing as a bastion of false hope. The blank eyes goggled ominously from the orange plush head, only barely obscured by two flaps of fabric. The white mockeries of ears twitched once and fell back to their normal positions. Swish went the short pair of tails, capped in milky fabric but otherwise the same color as his globular amber body. The red feet kicked forward, and one of the ivory spheres attached to the drooping arms rose and placed itself on Exio's shoulder.

"You know they shall die without you."

It wasn't a voice. It was a thought, one of Exio's own, brought upward to the surface. He brushed the cloth hand off without looking up. "They've always survived before. They will succeed now. Without me."

"Without you?" The Tails Doll stared through its blank eyes. "Without the metal avenger? You alone can fly, land the blows, become invisible."

"They have Creamel."

"They've always had Creamel. They've also always had you."

"What concern is it of yours?" Exio stood up and trudged away. "Sadist that you are. You want them to die."

"Die? I would not stoop to such levels. I want them alive just as much as you do."

Exio snorted.

"You do not understand me if you think I revel in the ending of life." The Tails Doll floated to the robot. "Life itself is what I'm after, my son."

"I am NOT your son."

"Oh? What are you then?"

"I..."

Exio stared at his hand, his cruel metal hand, reflecting the small light that came into the darkness. His tail hung limp as he stared, desperately wishing he could cry, smile, move his face in some way... but it was locked in that hideous, heartless glare of a hunter.

"No." Exio firmly stood his ground. "You've always tried to fool me into being your slave. I won't let my emotions fall under your control."

The Tails Doll nodded. "A wise decision... Espio."

"ESPIO IS DEAD!"

With a sickening crunch, the robot imbedded his tormenter in a nearby metal crate, hand wrapped around the throat as though it could strangle the doll into oblivion. The red eyes, the only way to gauge the emotion of the machine, burned a frightful scarlet glower into the emotionless face of the plush menace.

"Espio died in that explosion! I am his legacy, his honor! I am the essence of what he was, torn and shredded beyond recognition! I am the Ex-Espio, the Exio! You know this! Why do you still provoke me?!"

"You said yourself, I am a sadist." The tone suggested that the Tails Doll viewed his attack as a childish temper tantrum to be ignored.

Exio snapped open his grasp, ashamed to have lost control of himself. The doll immediately hovered out of the dented box, turning to float away.

"Will you join them?"

Exio sat dejectedly down on a spare chest. "Why? It's too late by now. Maybe Solaris will be merciful."

"Indeed. Who knows the mind of Solaris?" The Tails Doll turned to face Exio. "Still, I am disappointed that you still proclaim ninja honor in this hypocrisy. I thought I taught you better then to lie to yourself."

Exio said nothing.

"Very well." The Tails Doll began to float away.

Something occurred to the robot. "Why me?" He turned his gaze from the floor to the plush menace. "Why did you save me?"

The red gem jerked to a stop, slowly rotating the horrible goggle-eyed visage to the heliotrope automaton. "I had a choice. I could have saved that six-year-old insect, who was willing to sacrifice his life to rescue that rabbit but had the unfortunate habit of spazzing out at the most inopportune moments. I would have had him under my thrall in less time then it takes a hawk to flap his wings."

"But you chose me, knowing full well my honor and strength of will would prove to be problematic. Why?"

"When I saw that brave boy rescuing the lass, I also saw you watching him. You'd frozen up. You, the ninja, the hero, had let fear paralyze you, and your soon-to-be final sight was your companion being consumed in the flames of retribution. I knew then that that sight, that feeling, had to be preserved. I wanted to see your suffering last for eternity, knowing you could have done something, but doing nothing, and seeing one and a half people pay the price for your own insipid panic.

"Plus you look better in Metal Sonic then the bee." With that unceremonious ending, the Tails doll whizzed off into the darkness, leaving Exio to stare blankly after him.

A full thirty seconds passed, and with it a mishmash of vivid colors and images rushed through his mind.

Then the purple robot sunk his head into his hands.

So. Exio was our ninja friend in days long gone. And Charmy is dead. Yet new questions arise. What is the Tails Doll? Where did it come from and what does it want? And still our mind wanders to Sonic, Knuckles, and the entity called Creamel. Will they survive their upcoming confrontation with Solaris? of course, I'm going to leave you all hanging...


	3. Chapter 3

This time, we descend into the civilian life of the world, and how it has been impacted by the god of time. Here, we find that both the good and the evil flourish in this urban jungle, but who is who remains to be seen...

The moonlight fell across the floor in suspicious panels, highlighting the wispy smog that revealed red lasers. Descending from an open panel in the ceiling, a black-garbed figure quietly observed the area. The rope that lowered her slowed to an absolute stop, leaving her hanging a yard above the treacherous field of crimson beams. With a powerful flap, she began swinging, her violet tail feathers whispering in the otherwise still air. Finally, she grabbed onto her target, a small pedestal made of marble, and clambered silently on top of it.

She glanced around, searching, until she found a control panel on a far wall. She withdrew a metallic object connected to a long, thin cord from one of her many pockets and flung it across the room, holding her breath. A small clink signaled that the toss had been successful. She released her breath, pressing a button on a small pad attached to the other end of the cord. The metallic object sprung needle-thin legs and began crawling to a port in the panel. Onto her pad winked a series of data strings, alongside a touchscreen set of numbers and letters. The purple intruder watched these with blue eyes, clicking her beak together as she pondered.

Finally, she flicked her fingers over the gleaming screen, and with a quick protesting beep, the red beams of doom ceased to be. Immediately a green-feathered figure, dressed in black, dropped out of the ceiling, landing lightly on the ground. He rolled out of the way as a massive grey bird followed him. Despite the final one's bulk, he made nary a sound as he landed.

"Took your time, Wave," hissed the green one, looking over his shoulder at the windows.

"Complicated. It was a very in-depth protocol." The purple one stretched her wings. "Not like we're on a time limit or anything, Jet, but where's the heist?"

"That way." Jet nodded at a door. "Down the hall, third left."

The swallow flipped out of the room. "They moved it again?"

"Paranoia." The green and grey figures followed her.

"They've got a reason to be paranoid," Wave commented proudly.

Jet snorted. "Whatever. Hurry up with the lock."

Wave placed a strange device over the keypad. "Well well well…"

"What?"

"I can turn off the alarms, but there needs to be a very thick key to unlock this safe."

"Oh? How thick?"

Wave's fingers performed their confusing dance. "Well… Not thick enough. Storm?"

Moving like the fury of the ancients, the grey figure slammed his fist into the door. The impressive dent left behind hadn't opened it all the way, so the albatross withdrew his hand in preparation for another blow. Jet winced as the second strike noisily breached the fortress, glancing behind him.

"That it?"

Storm nodded, kicking the dismantled door out of the way. Jet slunk into the room beyond, a smile appearing on his beak when he sighted the cube enclosed in a clear case.

"Clever," commented Wave. "It's plastic, not glass, so it could be riddled with sensors."

Jet scowled. "What would you suggest, mistress of circuitry?"

Wave smirked quietly. "We break it open and get out. Simple."

"And dangerous." Jet paused. "I like it."

In a single stride, he flung open the case and snatched the artifact. Instantly alarms rang out into the night, but the Babylon Rogues had already begun their escape, and not even the dropping of large portcullises hindered them. Breaking through the windows, the three birds emerged into the moonlight, rapidly progressing over the rooftops to a preordained spot.

"So… Where's the ExGear?" queried Storm.

A massive caped figure appeared out of nowhere, right eye glowing a cybernetic green.

"Oh," commented Storm.

The new player leapt at the trio, dispatching Wave with a swipe of his massive arm. Jet flew into the sky, intent of instigating an aerial attack, but the robotic end of this foe's right arm released a blast that knocked him out of the sky. The figure whirled and met an already charging Storm with a metallic red fist to the cranium, knocking out the albatross instantly. Dusting himself off, the green-scaled giant gathered the unconscious criminals into a pile.

A click resounded through the night, as a barrel of a single weapon pointed steadily at the victor. "Don't move."

"Fang, now is not the time."

"You know the rules. Freelance vigilantism is a felony. You have to register."

The crocodile turned to face the weasel-wolf. "Right. You care, because you are the morally upright Nack the Weasel."

The purple-furred wielder of the gun shrugged. "What can I say, the public loves me."

"Right."

"So, quietly or dead? Your choice."

"You're still into this? Solaris is ruining the world, time itself repeats, I'm stuck with THIS—"

Here he held up his right arm, which had been replaced by the limbless cadaver of Mecha Knuckles.

"And here you are, acting as though the world is still the same."

"Far as I'm concerned, it is. Money first."

The crocodile snorted.

"So. Do I have to shoot you, or what?"

"Here." The croc kicked over the three sleeping birds. "The Rouges are worth a lot more then I am. Check the wonted posters."

Nack glanced at the immobile avians. "Yep. They are. But I get fired from my current gig if I don't bring you in by tomorrow, and it pays a lot more stable then bounty hunting."

"'Pays a lot more stable?'"

"Grammar's not my strong point. Anyways, I got to get a yes or no on the come quietly thing, else I'm stuck here threatening you all night."

"I get a choice?"

"Sure, Vector. You hop in my car and register, or I shoot you, stuff you in my car, and put you in a cell."

"Not much of a choice."

"Will you hurry up? I've got a date in an hour."

Vector rolled his eyes. "How about… no?"

Fang the Sniper shrugged. "Suit yourself." A gunshot rang through the night.

Vector growled as the lead connected with his shoulder, turning to run over the roofs. The weasel paused, pulling a few pairs of handcuffs from his boot and snapping them on the unconscious birds. He whipped out a cell phone and speed-dialed someone.

"This is Nack. I've apprehended the Babylon Rogues, but I can't get them to the base right now. They're at my current location, ready to be retrieved.

"I'm going after Vector now. May Solaris have mercy on his rotten little soul."

With a powerful slap of his tail, Fang the Sniper rose into the night sky, easily gaining on the slow reptile and blasting another bullet, which pinged uselessly off the building. Snarling in annoyance, the purple-furred one landed and rolled flat, firing another round. Vector roared in pain, his knee out of commission, and fell to the rooftop breathing heavily.

Fang the Sniper approached the crocodile, producing a tape recorder. "Protocol requires I get a recording before I ice you. And I quote: Describe your reasons for defying the law."

Vector rose shakily. "The law demands all vigilantes fight Solaris. The law ignores other, more common dangers, dangers that threaten everyday society. I want to keep people safe, more then I want to destroy Solaris. That is my reasoning."

"Right, got it." A single shot embedded itself in the crocodile's heart. As the blood began to pour, Fang sympathetically added, "See you next cycle," while splattering his brains across the ground they stood on. And thus did Vector die for the fifty-third time.

"Hmm," Nack commented. "One bullet spare.

"Nice."

So, the citizens are aware of a disturbance in time, which they describe as time repeating. In addition, it's done so around fifty-three times, each of which has had the death of our reptilian friend. Has the government truly abandoned those on the streets? What happened to Mecha Knuckles? How did Vector get the old badnik for an arm? These and more questions rise, as we plunge ever deeper into the Reign of Solaris...


	4. Chapter 4

I'm sure that all of you who are even vaguely familiar with the Sonic series have heard of that black hedgehog. Where in the world is he? Why, he's in this chapter... but not like you know him...

"Well, well, well," she commented, striding up to the table, "I almost didn't recognize you."

The trench-coated figure half-smirked. "I _am_ trying to go incognito. How's Omega?"

"Powered down in the back." She gave a wane smile. "Ever since Eggman died, he's just been unmotivated. You dyed your fur," she added randomly.

"Oh, yes. I was going for the Elder Sage look, did I use too much white?"

"Yes. That red mark of yours has gone pink. I think you looked better in black—"

"Incognito." His clawed fingers drummed on the table. "I just hope it works. I've got so many fangirls these days."

"Over-obsessed teenagers with wild hormones."

"Says the girl in the cat suit."

She laughed unexpectedly. "Cat suit? This is no cat suit. This is a _bat_ suit."

"Hm. Yes it is."

The two stared at the light dangling above them. It was a fancy red egg shape, with a suspicious set of goggles over a small mustache.

"Good times, eh?" he ventured, self-consciously rubbing the side of his face.

"Good times," she absently agreed, adjusting her white gloves needlessly.

They quietly pored over the lamp.

"Am I interrupting anything?" inquired a pink-furred interloper. "I just dropped by to say hi to Shad."

"Is it that obvious?" he growled, hiding his face in his claws. "She spotted me right off too."

"No I didn't," replied the woman, tearing herself from the red object above them. "I had to stare for five whole minutes before it clicked."

"As for me, I know everything," the newcomer added, pulling up a chair.

Shadow, dyed white and having clipped off four of his six spines, snorted. "That much is obvious."

"So how are… you?" ventured the woman to the newcomer.

"Which you are you talking to?" she replied mischievously, absentmindedly fixing up her red dress. "The hedgehog or the echidna?"

"Amy," warned the woman, "I'm not in the mood for games."

"Right. Well, since you ask, Rouge, I'm fine, but I'm a bit down."

"What?" Shadow turned his gaze on the girl. "You're fine but you're a bit down?"

"Let me guess," Rouge interrupted, "Tikal is fine, but Amy is a little bit down.

Amy clapped her gloved hands together in mock glee. "When did you get to be so smart?"

"When I can hear the change in your voices."

Amy leaned forward, smiling. "I forget how you bats are. Tell me, did you get what I asked for?"

"Yes, Tikal, I got it."

"How can you tell the difference?" Shadow demanded. "They sound identical!"

"It's the tempo," replied the bat, standing. "Excuse me, I've got to go get something…"

She slipped away, grateful to escape the strange, overly happy hedgehog. Amy smiled and turned to her other victim. "How's my favorite angstball?"

"I don't talk to possessed people."

"Possessed?" Amy clicked her tongue. "I was not possessed. It was a mutual agreement, and Tikal is nothing if not benign."

Shadow maintained his stalwart silence.

"You know, if you really want to avoid being identified, you have to change your habits as well as your appearance."

There was no response.

"Do you want your fortune told?"

Shadow glared at her, eyes burning. "Fortune."

"Yes. Fortune, oracle, premonition, prophecy…"

Shadow slowly stood. "In this world? Fortunes are useless."

"I wouldn't say that," replied Amy. "I'd say they give people hope. Hope they'll escape this repetitive hell."

"Here's my fortune: I outlive everyone and get to see the sun explode." Abruptly, he turned and stalked out of the building.

"What's the matter with him?" Amy asked a returning Rouge.

"What did you say?" she demanded angrily. "You didn't mention Maria, did you?"

"No, of course not! I offered to tell him his fortune, that's all."

Rouge sighed. "Tarot cards? You've been possessed by a three-thousand year old echidna ghost and you still believe in that rubbish?"

"Why does everyone always say possessed?" Amy turned to the bat. "I'm not possessed and I'm certainly not possessing anybody! It was a--"

"A mutual agreement. I heard. I don't understand you at all." The bat sat down slowly. "Anyways, here it is. It's a bit worse for the wear, but I doubt you'll care." She pushed an intricately decorated box across the table.

"Three thousand years tends to do that," Amy replied, taking the box. "I just hope that I can still…"

Her voice trailed off, as she contemplated the object in the box she had just opened. It was a large gold band, covered in triangular forms and slightly tarnished. Placed in the middle was a blue gemstone. It perfectly matched the necklace that Amy wore, and now, so close to its mate, it seemed to twinkle in hope and undiminished passion.

"This was my engagement circlet," she managed. "It meant… It meant I was free from childhood…"

Rouge stared, then slowly reached out. "If you like, I can return it--"

"No." Amy pushed the hand away gently. "It's not like it meant anything. Everybody got one."

Trembling, she grasped the metal and raised it to her eye level. "So old. So very old…"

Rouge turned away, uncomfortably aware of the intimate moment between the ghost and the circlet.

"Help me…"

Rouge turned back, startled. "What?"

"I mean, how does it look?" Amy half-posed, displaying the ancient crown she now wore.

"It's… wonderful," Rouge replied lamely, unable to express herself.

Amy nodded, understanding. "I hoped it would be…"

Then she broke down crying.

Shadow's changed his image, Amy was possessed (or not) by Tikal, and Omega's just lost his will. These are small things, yes, but they will impact the story beyond what you could imagine. The next chapter, though, regards a far more powerful force, one chaotic in its actions, one you've no doubt wanted to see since you started reading this...


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you. DarkspineSilver and Frozen Nitrogen, for your reviews. And thanks in advance to those who review with them. This is chapter five, the chapter you've all been waiting for. This is the lord of time's perspective. And, though I've forgotten to mention it, yes, Sega owns everyone in this story.

_This is the mind of Solaris..._

_Around him flow purple streamers of light, rippling as though a current flows through them. Those who look close see a strange pattern of nodes and lines on the surface of the massive rivers of shimmering matter. most originate from a point so far away that it cannot be seen, but of particular focus is the single circle floating before him._

_Experimentally, he extends a claw from his massive arms, snagging a portion and slowly stretching it towards another of the floating streams. Halfway there, it snaps._

_Solaris is unfazed, resetting the simulation instantly._

_Trapped. He'd been trapped when the princess made her mistake... but at least the original line was unharmed. What noble sacrifice..._

_Casually, Iblis reached over and snips off Mephiles's growing ego._

_Solaris shudders. He is a bit disturbed that he still sometimes thought of himself as two. No doubt, though, that is just a side effect._

_He taps his claw against the wall. So... He knew it wouldn't work, but it was somewhat disappointing to actually have it proven..._

_Self-pity. Stop._

_The glowing eyes scan the circle carefully. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. N-_

_That... would work... No wait. That required another in the original. How infuriating! He had not a clue as to wether another was in there... If only if only, the woodpecker sighs, the bark on the tree were as soft as the skies--_

_STOP. THINK._

_Solaris shakes his massive head, bringing his right claws up to it. The problem with having organic thoughts was that they were so unpredictable. But without them, one could not understand time, truly understand..._

_So they had built in a safeguard, all those years--decades? centuries? millennia?--ago. And it had never had failed, until he was split._

_The city of the sun, indeed. Humans and their religion--_

_NO. No mocking. Focus._

_Somewhat listlessly, Solarius spins the circle. It remains stubbornly in its place._

_So. That was--_

_Wait. Wait._

_A new spot has entered his simulation. It crawls toward the original._

_Solaris freezes, helplessly watching as they approach, unable to protect that which he had been charged to keep safe. Silently, he prays, ignoring Iblis's comments that nothing could help and prayer was a ridiculous superstition. He hopes, he begs..._

_The spot stops. It stays where it is. And then, to his horror, it dives in._

_He falls back, defeated. He could have stopped it, if he weren't in this shade of a world. No. He shudders, unable to prevent a massive sob from heaving though his crystal of a body._

_NO. The order is stern. Check. It might have been nothing._

_But it moved with such purpose..._

_Nonetheless, he rises, searching the line with his gaze. There is nothing, nothing to say that anything happened._

_Could it be? A guardian?_

_Perhaps..._

_But then, where is the signature? It's not one like him. It could merely be one of the linears expending fate._

_No. It was too close._

_With new resolve, the massive metal and crystal form rises, glowering at the circle that sits there unmoved._

_He begins to ponder fate. It was a quantity, with which individuals make their destiny. Sonic has been awarded quite a bit, but in recent years his stores have finally started to wane. Solaris had been worried for a while, but had decided Sonic was merely a great hero, not an imbalance._

_Shadow. Loathing came up in him. He hated Shadow not for imprisoning him, not for defying him, but for his gluttony. Shadow's fate was large, larger then even Solaris might be able to handle. He was dealing with it before the split, keeping the halfhog contained in that pod. Then the duke of Soleanna had presumed to ask his help on such trivial matters as his citizens! And now, now it was all doomed to unravel, unless he returned..._

_Not that Shadow's shade has prospered. In this realm, he'd decided to hide himself from Solaris's wrath. A wise, if misguided, choice. Solaris would have let him live, with only the expense of his immortality._

_The Emeralds. If he could use them... no. No. They had long ago been declared separate from him. It was his job to maintain the balance, and theirs to affect it. They were his opposite. They needed to exist for him to not risk ruining time..._

_Wait._

_That sound._

_Solaris turns his massive head to a monitor. There, Sonic, Knuckles, and Cream--or G-mel?--ran at a high speed. Towards his base. As expected._

_He growls. Where was Exio? Didn't they understand how fragile--?_

_No. Of course not. They were linears. They merely shouted "You are EEEEEvil!" in their sniveling voices and dueled him in a foolish attempt to convince him that the harming of innocents was wrong._

_Of course it was wrong. But it was also unavoidable. And in the end, they were shades._

_So much blood on his hands..._

_He dispels the purple streamers, rousing himself for the coming engagement. They always changed their tactics. He had to be prepared._

_And besides, the sight of the purple streaks would drive any linear mad, and the mad were unpredictable. And he desperately needs to be able to predict them, for a little while longer yet..._

_This is the mind of Solaris, and we see him calculating how much damage he will take and how much damage he will do. It has to be a certain ratio..._

The suspense! What does Solaris want? What does he mean, fragile? Why does he expect to take a certain amount of damage? What was that spot that had him so frightened? Maybe I'll tell you... and maybe not.


	6. Chapter 6

The confrontation with Solaris draws near. Now, my readers, turn your gaze once more on Sonic and his friends, and be forewarned, there is a bit of swearing. But not much.

The complex loomed over the ruined city hungrily, black tendrils of wire extending from its central cylinder across the pavilion, cackling where they had been ruptured. Sonic managed to avoid the coils lying on the ground, instead running on the very pillars and canals that had once held them.

"Anybody need to use the phone?" he quipped.

From below, there came a loud groan. "Look, Sonic, I know you like the whole banter thing, but it gets very old very fast."

"Come on, Knucklehead! We're off to fight the big bad wolf! What could possibly go wrong?"

"Firstly," supplied Cream, hovering over the electrical hazard with her jetpack, "it's not a wolf, it's an omnipotent time entity with a personal grudge against you. Secondly, we already know what goes wrong because we've fought this battle fifty-two times before. And thirdly, Exio isn't here, which means we lose half our firepower."

"Half? What am I then?"

"An idiot who can run fast."

"Thank you, Cream!" shouted Knuckles, jumping over a tight bunch of sparking cables. "Or was that G-mel?"

"No, G-mel thinks he's of average intelligence."

Sonic sighed. "Alright, I get it. I'm only here because of my speed. Can we get on with this?"

As if on cue, the large metal doors separating the central generator from the rest of the world slowly slid open, with much creaking and screeching. Cream wrapped her ear around her head, wincing.

"G flat, three octaves up."

Knuckles shrugged. "I've heard worse."

"Oh?"

"Rouge tried to serenade me once, during the thirty-first cycle."

"I'd think she'd have an excellent singing voice!"

"Yeah, you would, but she was--"

"Less talk more banter!" Sonic snapped, running in with a determined look.

"Tell you about it later," Knuckles concluded, rolling his eyes and calmly walking after the hedgehog. "He sure seems riled up."

"Hey, he's about to be green," replied the rabbit, clinking in last. "I think it's something to do with that. Or something."

The trio rushed through the maze of corridors. They had long ago memorized the path they needed to take, and for some reason there were never any hazards in their way. Soon they emerged in the central core, taking in the cylinder that took up almost the entire room and was at least a mile high.

"I must inquire as to the deviation."

From behind the cylinder floated Solaris. The central body was one massive crystal, capped by the metallic torso that could have housed a family of four. A pair of glowing purple streams of cackling energy connected to a pair of large, ominous steel cylinders, each of which had four flexible and deadly claws. No less than six triangular objects rotated behind him, their grey surface enshrouded by his bulk. The mouth-less prism of a head turned its glowing eyes down upon them, eyes as large as doors but shaped more like droplets of some strange acid.

"Where is Exio?" he demanded.

"He decided not to come," volunteered Cream. "What, you have a crush on him?"

"There are five meant to be, but only four are here." Solaris clicked his claws together. "It is a disturbing imbalance."

"So? What are you so worried about?" Sonic stepped forward. "That you won't win because you don't know what's going to happen?"

"Time… You do not understand. If the battle does not happen as it must, there is a risk." Solaris pondered. "A solution has presented itself," he declared suddenly. "The one imbued with Chaos must submit. My apologies in advance."

Without warning, the right arm raised and shot a blast of mysterious energy at Knuckles. Unprepared, he was flung against the wall, and slowly slumped down into a sitting position.

He opened his eyes. "Ha! That was pathet…ic…"

The echidna blinked. Then he blinked again. "Um… Okay, I give up. What's happened, and why is the world all weird?"

"Ah," ventured Cream, "I'd just say you'll never be alone anymore."

"Not helping…"

"There's two of you," Sonic flatly stated.

The echidna nodded both his heads. Then he brought his hands up to his face. "ARGH! Dizzy…"

The duplication wasn't the only effect, though. His eyes had become a blood-shot green in color, and his fur had lost all color, shifting into an ivory shade. A small patch of red, originating from his forehead spur(s), drifted over his cranium(s) and slightly extended down his dreads before disappearing. A crescent of crimson adorned his chest(s).

Solaris tapped his claws impatiently. "Very well…" He waved an arm over the pair of echidnas that had one mind. "There you go."

"Thanks, I guess…" The echidna(s) stood, his vision(s) cleared. "What is this all about though? And why am I white?"

"The white is a side effect, necessary to maintain your structure. I have told you, there must be five, and there were only four."

"Ahem." Sonic stood tapping his feet impatiently. "You know the drill. Stop draining the power from this generator or you go down."

In response, Solaris rose, arms extended to their upmost. "I do indeed _know_ _the_ _drill_. Far better than you can imagine, hedgehog." Purple beams rippled through the air, shredding portions of the wall and allowing sharp metal ribbons to fall onto the battlefield. "That is why I must decline your offer."

The fastest thing alive easily dodged the lethal razors, plucking Cream from the path of one of the deadly silvers just before it landed. "You know, Solaris, sometimes you really tick me off."

"Sonic!" Knuckles shouted, aiming one of himself at the wall while the other grabbed a makeshift spear from the rubble. "Watch your mouth! There's a little girl here!"

"Oh, hell, it's fine with me!" Cream screamed back as she back-flipped out of the hedgehog's arms. "I know a lot worse!"

"CREAM!" Knuckles expressed his shock.

"What? I remember being twenty-six, for Soleanna's sake!" The young rabbit aimed her cybernetic limb and let loose a barrage of energy pulses. "You know what? I don't care! Hell, damn, shit—"

A large blast of ionic purple flung her onto the wall. "You are quite immature," commented the crystalline attacker, his massive arm moving to block Sonic's powerful kicks.. "Besides which, you were never twenty and six. You merely remember a past life that never happened."

"I was too twenty-six!" Cream pouted, before catching herself. "And don't call me immature!"

"Knuckles has a point though," called Sonic from his spinball attack onto Solaris's arm. "What happened to the polite Cream we all knew and loved?"

"I don't know, what happened to Charmy?"

By this point, the crew had managed to severely dent Solaris, and his crystalline body was partly cracked. Suddenly, a ring of purple light expanded from him, pining them to the walls. The gargantuan one turned his gaze on Sonic, then Knuckles, then the other Knuckles, then Cream.

"Hmmm. It is hard to judge, without Exio. It is quite difficult."

"Why not let us go then?" asked Sonic. "Why not end this madness?"

Silence radiated throughout the room, as tangible as water in the ocean. Solaris slowly turned his gaze upon the hedgehog, eyes unable to blink. In the expressionless face was a riddle, an enigma that could never be solved.

"How I wish I could, friend. Oh, how I wish I could."

Slowly, a set of massive claws rose, each one delicately embedding itself into the wall around Sonic. A discharge of purple energy began running between them, enveloping the fastest thing alive. All Cream and Knuckles could do was watch helplessly as he screamed, his agony caused by the ripples in his very genetics.

"The first time I did this, it was vengeance, out of annoyance." Solaris stared solemnly at the now writhing spiny one. "I should never have done this. I should have let well enough alone. But I did. And as time repeats, so must I, until the chain can be broken safely."

Sonic gasped as the discharges stopped, heaving heavy breaths. His fur had taken on an emerald hue, fading to black at the tips of his quills and tail. A patch of raged dark fur setended from the top of his formerly skin-covered chest, and a single ebony streak extended from his now-blue eyes up to the tip of his uppermost quill, consuming his entire forehead.

"Know I bear you ill will no longer." With these words, Solaris dispelled the ring chaining them. "Now, begone." He floated up, crashing through the ceiling.

"Sonic?" Cream quietly approached the hedgehog. "Are you alright?"

"That... is... the fifty-third time I've lost this battle," he panted, standing. "Of course I'm not alright... But I'll live."

Sonic is green, Knuckles is two, and Solarius has vanished into the sky blue. What riddle is this that I let you see? What will next happen, you ask of me? I give you a hint: A mutant returns, but his mind has been lost to the one who burns...


	7. Chapter 7

"Arghsonofa—"

Yes, sorry, I missed an update date. Oh well… Anyway, here we find Sonic and crew lounging about after being ground into the pavement. Not everybody's happy. But this chapter contains something you defiantly won't expect…

"Arghsonofa—"

Sonic kicked open the door, shouting, "Tails! We're home! And stuff…"

"Calm down, Sonic," Knuckles said, cautiously entering one at a time. "I'm still calm. And I had… this happen."

"And I'm cyborg-bunny of doom," added Cream. "All you are is green."

Sonic sunk into the sofa. "And none of this should be happening! I beat Solaris, I knocked out his consciousness, Elise blew out his flame… How is he still alive?"

"Simple!" cried Tails, lunging at the hedgehog so suddenly that he flinched. "Transcendent quantum dynamics! Heeeheheehe!"

"You—TAILS! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Wheee!" The black-furred fox spiraled around the room, passing through objects like they didn't exist. "I must haunt you, for in life you were my friend!"

"He still on about that ghost thing?" queried Knuckles, two of four eyebrows raised.

"Yep," replied Cream. "He still thinks he's dead. I keep trying to tell him, Metal Sonic made him nano-mechanical or whatever, and he always replies with blargh bring me a sheet."

"I wonder what Metal Sonic was thinking," Sonic stated, opening the fridge. "Inserting nanites into his body. Oh look, cold chilidogs AGAIN."

"As far as I can tell, it was do-it-yourself soldier drones," replied Cream. "Toss 'em here, I'll nuke 'em."

Knuckles burst out laughing. "I'm sorry," he wheezed, "but you saying nuke 'em in that voice was just hilarious."

Cream's robotic arm gave an ominous hum. "My voice is fine. Unlike your heart if your don't stop laughing in ten seconds."

Knuckles cut himself off sharply.

"Good boy." The rabbit turned her attention to the plate of manufactured meats Sonic proffered, delicately balancing it on the end of her robotic arm before extending stabilizing prongs. A flame lit itself under the center of the platter.

"You know what I'd like?" Tails suddenly stopped spinning around the room, crazed smile on his blood-red muzzle. "Cream pie. You slather it all over the walls, and the spiders all come and eat it. It's like do-it-yourself cobwebs!"

"Right, sure," Sonic absentmindedly replied. "So they almost done, Cream?"

"G-Mel says to wait a few more seconds…"

Steam was rising from the formerly ice-cold chilidogs, and a crackling sound was accompanied by an appealing scent. Knuckles snorted and pulled a bunch of grapes from the fruit bowl. After a moment's thought, he passed half of it to himself.

"Right," Cream announced, extinguishing the flames. "Who ordered fat on a bun?"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Healthy or no, I'm eating it." He snatched one of the sticks of meat and viciously attacked it. "I gotta shay," he commented with his mouth half full, "you're a wonderful cook."

"Thank you," replied Cream. "I suppose you want me to marry you now so you can get great meals every day."

Sonic swallowed the rest of the dog. "Oh sure. I want to marry a girl ten years younger then I am and that's just for the food. Yeah, thanks but no thanks on that."

"CREAM!" shouted Tails. "CreamCreamCreamCreamCREAM!"

"What what what? I'm right here!"

"Beware the fourth covenant," the fox intoned, crimson-tipped tails swooshing solemnly.

"The fourth—Tails, what in the name of all things sugary is the fourth covenant?"

"I don't know. But you must beware it."

"Oh for the Emerald's sake," muttered Knuckles.

"Emerald Master, run ever faster," sang Tails, rhythmically waving his red-gloved paws. He then proceeded to run up and down the wall.

"He's good for a laugh," Cream said. "Oy Sonic! Let the chef have one!"

"Sure, sure." Sonic distractedly took the last chilidog and scarfed it down.

Cream rolled her eye. "Oy Sonic! Amy's outside kissing Silver!"

"Yes, I'll get on that."

"No doubt about it," Knuckles offered, "Something's on his mind. You like grapes?"

"No thanks," Cream declined, "not for me. Dude, he's getting worse then Shadow."

"What?!" Sonic whirled around. "WHERE IS THAT--?"

"Language!" warned Knuckles, not so subtly indicating Cream.

"Oh Solaris my virgin ear," replied the rabbit sarcastically. "Look, don't censor yourself on my count."

"Where's Shadow?" Sonic managed.

"How should I know? Emo the angsthog hasn't been around for some time."

"But you said—"

"I said you were getting worse then him," Cream interrupted. "And seriously, you are. Cut back on the drama."

"WE ARE DOOMED TO ETERNAL HELL AND YOU TELL ME TO CUT BACK ON THE DRAMA?!"

For a moment, their was nary a sound but Sonic's heavy breathing. Cream had turned to look at him, as though she worried he might have gone too far. Knuckles was bracing both his bodies to approach if necessary. Even Tails had turned his blue eyes, with their ebony sclera, away from his constant puttering to look at the hedgehog.

Sonic breathed in one final breath, then slowly exhaled. "I'm sorry. I… I'm gonna go…" He awkwardly ended his words and just trudged to the stairs.

"Hey." Knuckles placed a fist on his shoulder. "We all feel it. But that's no reason to give up."

"Give up?" Sonic scoffed. "I won't give up. I can't give up. I just keep repeating the same actions again and again and again."

"There's a way out of this, I'm sure."

"Of course there is. It's Solaris." He paused. "And we can't beat him."

Knuckles tried to come up with something to say, and failed. And that would have been the end of it, except…

"Oooo!" piped up Tails. "There's two Knuckles now! He can triangulate!"

"Not the time—What do you mean, triangulate?" Knuckles cocked his head. Or one of them, anyways.

"Search and find, search and find, search and find!"

"It's a method of navigation," Sonic supplied over his shoulder. "What'd you think it meant?"

"Oh." Knuckles began blushing. "Um… The way he said it was… suggestive…"

Sonic turned with an unbelieving stare. "What?"

"..Nothing…"

There was a brief moment where the idea fully settled on everyone present.

Then Cream burst out in raucous howling.

"It's not funny!" Knuckles shouted, turning all of his eyes into a panicked glare.

"Oh Solaris that image! Bwahahahahahahaha!" Cream couldn't sit straight.

"Shut up! Shut up!"

Cream was on the verge of tears, and Sonic couldn't repress a small chuckle.

"Not you too!"

"I'm sorry man, but you've got to admit that's a little funny!"

"No it isn't!"

"Oh Solaris," gasped Cream, "ow, my sides hurt…"

"SERVES YOU RIGHT!"

Sonic smiled, his usual attitude slightly restored by this madness.

Then he stopped. His eyes slowly widened.

"Knuckles…" he slowly began, "You're sensitive to the Master Emerald energy, right?"

"Yes, we all know that."

"Could you, say, locate another Master Emerald?"

"If one existed, but it doesn't!"

"Not here," Sonic corrected him, "but in the original world."

"I suppose I… could…"

Knuckles trailed off, his eyes meeting the hedgehog's.

"You don't mean--?"

"Of course, we'd need a lot of energy."

"The Chaos Emeralds?"

"Good thing we know where they are, right?"

"It could work," mused the echidna, "if we could get past Eggman's bots."

"Leave that to me," Sonic replied, a wide grin on his face.

"Hey!" shouted Cream. "Count me in! If there's a way out of this cesspit, then I'm all for it!"

"I expected nothing less!" Sonic shouted happily. "Hey Tails, up for one more adventure?"

"And Lo! There was confetti made of snake scales!" Clearly the fox was totally out of it.

Sonic sighed. "Oh well, three should be enough…"

At long last, Sonic has a plan! What could it be? And isn't Eggman dead? Stay tuned, readers, for you have not seen anything yet.


	8. Chapter 8

"Decent place this is," snorted Cream, snapping her menu shut

Welcome, readers, to the next portion. No matter how good a plan is, you always need to have resources. Here we see Sonic and crew gathering those…

/

"Decent place this is," snorted Cream, snapping her menu shut. "I mean, Rouge has at least a million in moola and she doesn't even serve Skittles!"

"You're addicted to skittles, girl." Sonic leaned back, black shoes tapping impatiently. "Seriously."

"I am not addicted!"

"You fought an egg pawn for a pack, you're addicted."

"I'm six," mumbled the rabbit. "What do you want?"

Knuckles remained silent, glancing around at the restaurant they were in. It was certainly extravagant, and almost as certainly not a place you'd expect to see a six-year-old rabbit. This was not evident in the decorations, but instead in the clientele, most of who were smoking some form of… something. Some of the smog was suspiciously red.

"Are there any waiters in this place?" he mused.

"One, big boy," replied a new voice. "And she owns the place."

"Took you long enough, Rouge," Sonic commented. "We've been waiting here a whole seven minutes!"

"I'm so sorry, I had to berate the cook. And anyways, what's Cream doing here?" The bat held out her hand. "Are you trying to corrupt our youth?"

"No, actually. She does a bang-up job of it on her own."

"Just shoot me now," mumbled the cyborg bunny of doom, sinking into her seat.

"So what will it be, boys? I assume the fruit salad for the knux clones—"

"I am not clones!"

Rouge blinked, genuinely taken aback. "Knuckles? Is that you?!"

"No, my name's Julie-Su. What do you think? Of course it's me!"

"But… There are two of you… and you're white…"

Knuckles grunted and sank back into his seats.

"Um…. So anyways, I guess a fish salad for Cream?"

"Shaken, not stirred," replied the rabbit. "Skittles on the side."

The bat rolled her eyes. "Right, miss Bond. And chilidogs for the formerly blue hedgehog?"

"Actually, I was thinking of ordering something else." Sonic leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "Say, an eggbot, maybe."

Rouge put own her pad and stared. "What makes you think I have any of those?"

"Never said you did." The hedgehog shrugged and placed his hands on the table. "Fact is, we're going to bust into the good doctor's old base, but we need codes. And I don't doubt Omega has them."

"And you think I know where Omega is." Rouge shifted her weight. "Well sorry, partner, but he deserves a well-earned rest, and I'm not willing to contact him until you give me a good reason. So I'm putting you down for a chilidog." With quick, deft strokes, she wrote the order on her pad and turned to leave.

"We're getting out."

Rouge froze and flicked an ear. "What?"

"We're getting out, but we need the Emeralds to do it. And the Emeralds are in the Angel Island complex." Sonic leaned back, arms crossed.

For a moment, the bat stood still. Then, hesitantly, she replied, "Back room."

Sonic nodded, standing. "Thank you for your time, madam." He began his trek towards the employees only door, but paused to stare at a white hedgehog following him with his eyes.

The hedgehog seemed… familiar…

He shrugged it off, turning back to the door. He didn't notice the pink streak in the other hedgehog's fur, nor the slight relaxation when he turned away.

The back room was a mess of crates, but wires bolted to the wall seemed to guide him to one particular spot. Finally, he discovered the red and black robot slumped against the wall. A plethora of cables ran to various points in the automaton, and all the lights on it were dead.

"Oy! Eggbot! Up and at 'em!"

The machine did not respond.

"Look, I need to get into one of Robotnik's old bases," Sonic explained. "It's really important. I don't care if you go or not, but I need the access codes."

The robot did not reply.

"FINE! Be that way!" The green hedgehog kicked the robot, immediately regretting it as he winced and clutched his foot. "Ow, ow, ow."

Trudging back into the main shop, he sat down heavily.

"Well?" inquired Knuckles.

"Nothing. He's too busy being in an emo coma."

"Tough luck," Cream commented, gorging herself on the skittles that had mysteriously appeared in her hand. "What now?"

"Well, now we do nothing, since that's all we can do."

"Stop being like Shadow!"

In another part of the eatery, a white hedgehog whirled around and glared. Nobody noticed.

"Seriously, it's angst this, angst that with you! Whatever happened to the I can't lose view?"

"Solaris," Sonic muttered darkly. "Solaris happened."

"Well, yeah, but that's not really enough to be such an angstee about!"

"I can't beat him. That's a new feeling for me."

"There's got to be another way!" Knuckles stated, pounding a fist on the table.

"We could just blast our way in," Cream replied. "Easy."

"And dangerous. That base has all of eggman's usual bots plus quite a few Emerald-powered creatures."

"Eh," Cream replied.

"Knux is right," Sonic said. "Just blasting our way in is suicide."

"Eh," Cream repeated.

The front door jingled open. There, in all her pink-quilled splendor, stood a hedgehog with a gold necklace, head circlet, and arm brace. The crimson dress rustled once in the wind before the door snapped shut. Emerald eyes widened as she caught sight of Sonic, who gave a much more panicked wide-eyed stare in return.

"Sonic!"

"Oh—darn." Sonic barely remembered Cream's presence in time.

The pink hedgehog walked serenely over and sat down beside the fastest thing alive. Knuckles edged away cautiously. Cream simply popped more skittles into her mouth and leaned back to watch the carnage.

Surprisingly, Amy managed to keep her claws off of Sonic. "So… What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to Omega," Sonic replied. "But he's so depressed he can't move."

"You wanted to talk to him… about breaking into Eggman's base on Angel Island?"

Knuckles started. "How did you know--?"

"I know everything." Amy smiled at the echidna, lightly fingering here necklace.

The guardian's eyes widened. "Tikal?!"

"Got it in one! Maybe you aren't so dense as they say."

"So wait," Cream said, leaning forward. "You possessed Amy?"

"No! I let her come into my body!"

Sonic inched away from the schizoid. "Right. Sure."

"What if I said I could get you in the base?" Amy twirled her hair idly.

"Okay!" Sonic shouted loudly. "Nice talking with you, but we really have to get going to, uh, the asylum—No! The store!" He stood up a bit too fast, but was pushed down by Rouge, who had apparently come out of nowhere.

"Calm down, big boy. She's not crazy… or at least not crazier then normal."

"HEY!" Amy turned to face the bat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"I hope so." The hedgehog turned back to Sonic. "Anyways, I do have a way in. All it requires is that you take me with you."

\\\

So, the plan has been adjusted, and very soon, it will be implemented. Who was that mysterious white hedgehog? Why did Sonic kick Omega? How come my cliffhanger statement quality is nose-diving? I'm not going to answer any of these questions, but you should still tune in for the next chapter.


End file.
